Cool: August 2006 Archives

Such an alpha nerd. He's rumored to be a crazed idea guy who can brainstorm up innovation the way most people decide what to have for lunch. The Taco Bell commercials, the bizarre business branches of Amazon, they all just add to the mystique. I just wish he'd fight harder for patent reform.

Mark Cuban

You just have to love Mark Cuban. Fired for closing a sale, relentless entrepreneuer, funds the EFF, looking for disruptive tech all the time... he's awesome. And his irreverent personality is the clincher. More fines than anyone in NBA history? Check. Anything he can't do? I'll leave that box blank.

Richard Branson

You just gotta love it. Self made mania, with little tentacles in so many diverse industries, you have to wonder if his prowess just comes from a deal with the devil. Music, transportation, cell phones, health clubs... this guy is awesome.

Janus Friis, Niklas Zennstrom

First, you make Kazaa. Then, because you can't buy the particular small country you wanted, you make Skype. After pocketing 2.4B from that, you're still thinking: what next? So you start making a P2P TV app. THYS? Bad. Ass. They're like a more commercialized version of Justin Frankel, on crack.